Nature Power : In the Spirit of an Okanagan Storyteller

Many of the stories in Okanagan storyteller Harry Robinson’s second collection feature the shoo-MISH, or “nature helpers” that assist humans and sometimes provide them with special powers. Some tell of individuals who use these powers to heal themselves; others tell of Indian doctors with the power to heal others. Still others tell of power encounters of various kinds. Many of the stories in Harry Robinson's second collection feature the shoo-MISH, or “nature helpers” that assist humans and sometimes provide them with special powers. Some tell of individuals who use these powers to heal themselves; others tell of Indian doctors who have been given the power to heal others. Still others tell of power encounters: a woman “comes alive” after death; a boy meets a singing squirrel; a voice from nowhere predicts the future.